Persona: Resurrection
by Cloud802
Summary: Keiichi Kurosawa already has enough to worry about, moving out of the city, tests, crazy teachers, and a dumb school bully, so why is it that life decides to throw this little curve ball at him?
1. Chapter 1

I'd like to think it wasn't fate that brought us here. Rather... it was something else, and trying to wrap my mind around it wouldn't help. A lot of crazy shit had happened in the past year, but this one took the cake. I tried to stand, but it was way too hard; it felt like the muscles in my legs were completely shot, and any effort I put into them only caused pain. I could taste and feel the blood falling out of my mouth, this only made me more sick than I already was.

"MINATO!"

I don't know why I screamed that, it was completely pointless...

"I wonder..."

The voice was silky smooth, it pissed me off...

The rain wouldn't stop...

I was soaked to the bone, and the asphalt under me was harder than I thought.

I heard him walking towards me before I saw him; he continued, that smug tone of his never changing, "I truly wonder, what is it that you fight for? Friends?" He accentuated the question by kicking me square in the fucking stomach, "Family?" Only to add another, "Hope?" And another, "JUSTICE!"

I coughed up blood, and it was washed away by the heavy rain almost before it even hit the ground.

I looked up at the blond man grinning down at me like he was mad. He spread his arms wide, as if to welcome the rain, "What did you expect to gain out of this? It baffles me completely."

My hands were empty, my sword lay broken a good few yards away, and I could hardly move.

Why did I fight anyways?

How did it come to this?

What was the point?

**Cloud Strider Presents:**

**Persona: Resurrection**

**Chapter 1: Tarot**

It was hard to wrap my mind around the fact that I wasn't going to live there anymore. My dad got some job offer that required he move to the neighboring city, so here I was, heading towards some town called Hina. While my parents established themselves in the new area I was headed off to live with my grandparents. The situation... could have been better. Apparently it could also be worse. The train ride over was long and dull, and the scenery hardly helped the situation. I tried to think positive, I really did, but it was useless.

My parents had moved once with me, before I could even walk, and now here I was heading to some town in the boonies that I'd never even heard of.

By the time I finally got off the train at Hina I was about ready to pass out, but I still had a ways to go apparently, as there wasn't a building with in sight minus the train station itself and a small gas station. I couldn't tell what the station was called, as it appeared the letters had fallen from the sign over God knows how many years. The scenery was pleasant but boring, flat plains as far as the eye could see, stretching into some small mountains off to the west.

"Keiichi-kun?"

The voice startled me out of my observations, and in front of me stood my grandparents, both of whom I hadn't seen in quite a while, so at least there was that... I tossed them a smile, "Good to see you again Grandma, Grandpa."

My grandpa was of tall stature and had a rough appearance, he was a tough man, but he was never in the self defense force or anything like that. My grandma on the other hand was a stark contrast; she was hunched over slightly, and possessed a cane to help her walk... not to say she wasn't full of energy.

"It's good to see you again dear," she said with a soft smile, and I couldn't help but feel better about what was happening.

My grandpa stepped forward and planted a hand on my shoulder, "Let's get outta here, we've still got a long drive into town."

I nodded and we made our way away from the train stop to the gas station next door. By the pumps was a small family oldsmobile. I threw my carry on in the back and followed it promptly.

I was asleep in the backseat in under a minute.

* * *

><p>I felt... heavy...<p>

Like I was soaked to the bone with water.

I heard the light pitter patter of rain around me, and when I opened my eyes...

I was standing on a lone street under a street lamp. It was hard to see anything past the circle of light I was standing within, but I was definitely drenched.

I tried to remember how I'd gotten here, but it wasn't coming to me. As far as I knew this was where I always was. Wasn't that strange though? It felt like there was something more to this world than a lonely little street lamp.

"Truth is fickle, but you will always be alone."

My feet started to move...

I didn't really feel like I was walking though.

"All one needs is himself, that is the way of things."

I stopped...

"That's not true..."

I could barely hear my own voice.

"Really now?"

I felt a pressure in my gut.

When I looked down all I could see was the large blade protruding from my stomach, and when I looked back up...

I saw the grin of a madman.

"You are alone."

His voice sent a chill down my spine.

* * *

><p>My eyes snapped open and the feeling of being drenched and dying was still with me, along with the cold sweat on my forehead. It was hard to breathe, but I composed myself when I noticed I was still in the car and we were pulling into the driveway.<p>

It was dark outside.

That dream hit way too close to home...

I was alone out here.

I had said goodbye to all my friends.

My parents were gone.

I had just got out of a bad relationship.

I was happy to see my grandparents, but I realized that I didn't even know them all that well. This weighed heavy on me. "We're here kiddo," Grandpa said happily, "Your room is upstairs on the right, ours is at the end of the hall, and the living room and kitchen are downstairs. It's not much, but it's home."

He was right, the place was small but comfortable. It didn't feel too cramped, and the air was warm when we walked in the front door. "You go on up to bed dear," Grandma said with a smile.

I gave her a nod, "Thanks, I'll try not to be too much of a burden."

She waved her hand, "Don't even fret over it. I'm sure you're tired so get going."

I made my way up the stairs hesitantly, my bag bouncing against them as I did so. A bed was already set up when I entered the room, along with an empty desk and a recliner. It was a comfy little room.

'I guess this is where I'll be sleeping for a while,' I thought, dropping the bag and letting myself fall onto the bed. I let my face sink into the pillow and took a deep breath. My first day in Hina would be tomorrow.

I checked my watch...

11:59 PM

Another deep breath... and I let myself drift off to sleep.

I woke to the sound of rain and thunder...

I sat up and realized I was no longer in my new bed... or room for that matter. My surroundings told me that I was probably in some sort of mansion. The rug below me was a comfortable blue color, and as I stood I began to notice more.

At the far end of the room were several bookshelves, and to my right a fireplace ensured that the cold of the rain did not penetrate the walls of the room. In front of that fireplace was a recliner and a table. A slim woman stood by the table smiling at me warmly, her attire consisted of what looked like a flight attendant's uniform, hat and all. She ushered me over hurriedly, the smile never faltering from her face.

The table was oak with a perfect shine, this became more highlighted as I approached the strange woman. Her blonde hair trailed all the way down to her hips, and it seemed her dimples had developed quite nicely from smiling so much.

"I see we have a new guest..."

It wasn't the woman that spoke, and the voice was strange, it reminded me of something you'd hear from a movie. It was high pitched and mysterious, and held a great undertone of mischief.

The woman kept ushering me...

There was another recliner on the opposite side of the table...

Strange; I hadn't even seen a recliner there before, this one was blue, just as the one across from it.

I followed her gesture hesitantly and sat in the empty chair. It was then that I saw him, his back was hunched, and he had a very strange and very long nose. He grinned as if it were a natural state for him, and yet...

It wasn't the grin of a madman.

I don't know what it was; I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

He nodded to the woman, who had stopped smiling finally, and she took her place by his side as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Welcome to the Velvet Room."

For some reason I felt goosebumps trail across my skin when he said that. He continued, not heeding my discomfort, "You have come here for a reason that you are not quite sure of. You are different from my previous clients, but nothing that I cannot work with."

"Um..." I swallowed deep, trying to understand what was happening, "What is this place?"

The strange man laughed, "I just told you that, did I not? What is your name?"

I looked into the fire, weighing whether or not I should tell this strange man anything personal.

He turned to me, still with that grin, "You don't have to tell me, but keep in mind that without my help you will find yourself backed into a corner very quickly."

There were the goosebumps again. For some reason...

I believed him.

"Keiichi... Kurosawa."

"I am Igor, the proprietor of this place, and this is Veronica, my assistant, she is also a resident here."

"Pleased to meet you," she said softly, bowing to me. Her voice was like silk.

"Why am I here?"

Igor leaned forward, crossing his hands together, "In the coming year you will be presented with a challenge." He waved his hand and Veronica brought a deck of tarot cards from seemingly nowhere.

Igor shuffled the deck in an almost absent minded way.

He then laid four of the cards in a strange pattern and began to flip them one by one. When he was done he turned his grin to me. "The first card, Lover reversed..."

Veronica continued where he let the sentence hang, "You will face a great conflict with the threat of excluding those close to you."

Igor's grin wasn't helping this strange situation, he gestured to the next card "The second card, the Fool, represents your open mindedness and willingness to accept adventure and excitement. You will face many hardships, but this quality will help you overcome them."

He gestured to the third card, and Veronica picked up again, "The third card, Temperance, represents your ability to think rationally and not act before you should, trying to understand and accept what's around you is the best thing to do. In order to do this however, you must think through things carefully, or suffer the consequences."

Igor continued with the fourth and final card, "Prudence reversed," he said, still with that grin, "Remember, no matter how tempting it may be to jump into action, you must look at the larger picture of the situation. Focusing on the bare aspects of what lies ahead is likely to put you in harms way, so be weary."

I nodded...

I didn't really understand, but something told me that whatever I was doing here was important.

Igor still continued, drawing another card from the deck, "The fifth and final card," he said, amusement lining his voice, "Dominion, this card represents your ability to gather others to you and lead them through the hardships that lie ahead, this will be your greatest weapon and your greatest defense, for without others... you fight alone."

That sounded ominous.

"Take this." Igor leaned forward, setting a blue key on the table.

I picked it up without hesitation and pocketed it.

"In the coming days you will enter into a contract and return here of your own free will."

Veronica gave me that charming smile of hers, "I look forward to seeing you again Kurosawa-san."

And then I woke up.

It was raining outside, lightning and all. I looked at the clock...

3:00 AM.

I rubbed my eyes and rolled over, trying to get back to sleep, but it was a bit tough after having a dream like that.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Spirited Away

I didn't think things could get any weirder after having a dream about a long nosed hunchback and his cheery flight attendant, and it's almost hilarious how wrong I was.

When I awoke at six in the morning I set about organizing what little I had brought with me. I dumped my bag out on my new bed, and among the things were an empty back pack, school supplies, and toiletries. My parents had insisted I pack as light as possible, and they would send the rest of my stuff via mail. I wasn't exactly in any position to complain, but damn if I didn't. After throwing all my school supplies in my back pack and arranging my toothpaste and other accessories in the small bathroom upstairs.

When I made my way down to the living room I was greeted with the sight of a plate of fish and rice, along with a hot cup of coffee. I knelt at the small table and ate thankfully. By the plate was a small map of the town, and I found myself staring at it for the better part of a minute.

There wasn't much to see in Hina, a shopping district in the center of town with a few stores and places to eat, the school that was right down the road a few blocks from my house, a tiny mall on the other side of town, and a domestic district with a small park right next door... oh and the countless farms on the edges of the town.

It was the dream country life, the one you'd want to live after you've retired from your tough career and all your babies have flown the nest.

I stood, pocketing the map.

It was then I noticed the school uniform hooked to the front door and smiled, 'Well,' I thought, 'At least I don't have to go through the hoops picking that up.'

After changing I set out.

Walking down the road I was surprised to see a good number of students headed the same direction as I was. The town wasn't that big, but it seemed a good number of people lived here.

The conversation of two chatty girls behind me piqued my interest.

"Did you hear about Inoue-chan?"

"No, what happened?"

"They found her stumbling through the shopping district in the middle of the night, when they admitted her to the hospital she tried to jump out the window."

The latter girl gasped in a mix of horror and pity, "That's horrible, we have to go see her after school."

"I can't, I've got a date."

"Oh, with him? Well, I'm still going to see her."

For some reason the subject of the conversation sent a chill down my spine, and I recalled the dream from last night...

Igor's words of an impending challenge, and his warnings and predictions about my own fate. Come to think of it, why did I remember that dream so vividly? The conversation was drowned out as I retreated into my own dark thoughts.

I had never remembered a dream with such clarity before...

The Sakura trees lining the gate and entrance way of the small two story school were a welcome sight that helped calm my thoughts.

* * *

><p>"Alright class pipe down!"<p>

The random chatting died down as the bell rang and the homeroom teacher walked into the classroom; his footsteps were heavy and he walked with a hard stride, as if to highlight his own authority over the entire room.

It didn't help that I got stuck with a front row seat right in the middle...

The teacher picked up the chalk from the board's holder and forcefully wrote his name on the blackboard.

'Mr. Genji.'

Genji... what a weird family name... like the era or the fable?

He turned to face the class and leaned on his desk with both hands, his eyes swept over the entire class, as if scanning every one of us. Finally they landed on me; he pointed and gestured for me to come up, and I did so. I stood at his side and respectfully bowed to the class. Mr. Genji frowned, "Introduce yourself," he said in a gruff voice.

"Kurosawa Keiichi."

Mr. Genji set a hand on my shoulder and smirked, "A man of few words, I respect that, go ahead and take your seat."

I raised my eyebrow at his strange behavior, but decided to simply do as I was told and sit down in the front once again. It wasn't long before the classes themselves were underway, and right before lunch I felt a tap on my shoulder.

I turned and ended up face to face with a guy; he tapped his desk nervously and ran a hand through his short brown hair, "Hey, my names Minase Shinji, you can just call me Shinji."

I nodded in affirmation.

"Hey... I don't know if you know this man..." he scratched the tip of his nose, fidgeting nervously, "But... you ended up transferring here at kind of a weird time."

He was a talkative one... "What do you mean by that?" I asked quietly.

"Well... lotsa stuff I guess, in the past month we've had two people disappear from the town, and one showed back up just the other day all messed up in the head."

"That girl... Inoue-san?"

He looked surprised, "Yeah, how'd you know man?"

"I heard a couple of girls talking about it on the way to school," I mumbled.

"Yeah I guess that makes sense; small town and all, right? Housewives are already mumbling about their children being spirited away."

"They have a right to be paranoid I guess... kid goes missing and shows back up acting weird," I said.

Shinji nodded, "I suppose so. On a lighter note sign up is coming up for the sports clubs, you play soccer?"

I nodded, "Yeah."

"Sweet, you should join then, we could use the extra members."

This was the same crap I got my first year. "I'll think about it," I said, purposely avoiding the subject.

He continued to chat my face off through lunch, and before I knew it the day was over.

* * *

><p>"Honey, you have to eat... please you need to get better."<p>

The wife grasped her husband's palm tightly as they watched over their malnourished daughter, who only stared at the ceiling. "Please," begged the husband.

"My name," mumbled the girl.

The parent's leaned forward.

"Is my name fake too?" she asked, turning her head to gaze out the window, looking away from her parents, "It was all just a lie."

"What?"

The girl smiled bitterly, "I really am... all alone."

* * *

><p>My eyes snapped open and I sat up in a cold sweat, struggling to drag some air into my lungs. I looked at the clock...<p>

12:00 AM

Midnight...

Thunder and lightning clashed outside of my window, creating a symphony of complete chaos.

Rain pelted the roof mercilessly...

I felt...

Alone...

For some reason I thought about that girl that had disappeared before I had moved into town. I brought my knees close to my chest and leaned my chin on them. My thoughts drifted together and fell apart, creating chaos in my mind as thunder and lightning had striven for.

The rain deprived me of my thinking process and I was finding it harder to breathe even now.

What the hell was this place?

Why was I having weird dreams?

And why did it feel like I was standing on the precipice of a cliff, ready to dive off?

I stood and paced my room, trying to collect myself.

'Thou art I... and I am thou...'

I awoke the next morning with a headache, and when I opened the blinds on my room's solitary window...

The sun was shining; there wasn't a single trace of the heavy rain that had assaulted the town last night.

My mind reeled.

And I still felt alone.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Persona**

School the next day was rather uneventful. Chatting with Shinji for the duration of the day helped clear my mind, and by the time the final bell rang I felt a little better compared to the day before, which isn't to say I was no longer feeling apprehensive about this whole thing. Pretty much the only reason I was looking forward to this move was a fresh start in a new place, but with the way that fresh start was going I was running out of silver lining quickly.

The rain from the night before still haunted my thoughts; it had woke me with a start and left me wondering what had happened in the morning.

While everybody was gathering their stuff and vacating the class as fast as possible I instead turned to face Shinji once more, "Hey Shinji, would you say it rains a lot here?"

He frowned, as if the question was strange, "Well, it rains pretty much how it does anywhere else average."

"How long does it take to dry up?"

He laughed and waved his hand, "Man, c'mon, why're you asking me weird questions like this? What's gotten into you dude?"

I rubbed the back of my head and turned around, "No reason, just... thought it rained last night is all..." I decided to drop the act.

He laughed, "You musta been dreaming then, cuz it was clear all night."

"How do you know?" I asked, leaning back in my chair slightly.

"My mom works graveyard shift, she comes home in the morning and I make breakfast for her, there wasn't a drop of water on her."

"It could have stopped raining before she left work."

"Heh, not likely, then her shoes would still be wet from the leftover rain."

I raised an eyebrow, for being so chatty this guy was pretty observant of his surroundings. I couldn't exactly argue with that, "I have been having some pretty crazy dreams ever since I moved here."

Shinji smiled, "You had a long trip so it makes sense."

If it were only so simple...

* * *

><p>That night I stayed up studying in an effort to get my mind off all the crazy crap that was going on around me. It only partly worked, as I still found my thoughts wandering back to the night it rained in Hina. Something about this whole thing didn't sit right with me.<p>

One thing I was thankful for was that my bed was against the wall so I had something to lean on if I decided to get comfortable.

I looked at the clock...

11:58

I rubbed my eyes and let out a large yawn, adjusting the book in my lap and leaning further against the wall.

My eyes drooped...

11:59

I damn near jumped from my skin when I heard the thunder clap outside of my window.

If I wasn't awake before I definately was now.

I stumbled out of bed as the light on the ceiling of my room flickered and died out. It felt like the world was closing in around me, which only freaked me out even more; it was just rain, why the hell was I acting this way?

My door flew open and tripped into the upstairs hallway, falling right on my face. Despite the pain I struggled to stand... the thunder outside cracked again and I found myself walking slowly towards my grandparents' room. I opened the door quietly and peaked inside. The small light on the head board was still on... a book lay discarded on the floor next to the bed as if the person reading it had suddenly disappeared without warning. The light flickered and puttered out completely and another boom of thunder greeted my ears.

I ran back into the hall and jumped down the stairs five at a time...

They weren't down there either.

I looked at the digital clock on the oven...

12:00 AM

Still midnight?

Eventually, after a minute of staring at the clock in disbelief, it flickered out just as the lights upstairs had.

The rational side of my mind was telling me that this was a power outage, but I knew better. Where had my grandparents gone, why had it suddenly started raining with no warning, and why did I feel like the walls were closing in around me?

For some reason I thought about the dream I had the night I got here...

Igor's words...

The rain pelting against the mansion's window, and the thunder booming outside.

Those walls were safe...

I took a deep breath; I had to get my thoughts back to that one moment. He said something... something about not jumping the gun, thinking rationally about what was happening around me before taking action.

When my head was straight I was surprised at what I already knew about what was happening.

Whatever was happening right now only happened at midnight, and it had been happening since I got here, I just didn't notice it the first night because I was sleeping like a log. On top of that, everything electronic stuttered out and died when the rain started...

I thought back to my first day at school and I remembered the conversation I overheard between the two chatty students...

This Inoue girl had been spirited away, and when she returned she was immediately hospitalized and looked after because of her severe mental instability. It didn't stop there either; she had tried to commit suicide after being admitted to the hospital.

Did that mean my grandparents were spirited away as well?

... Most likely not.

Shinji told me that there had been only two disappearances, the latter being Inoue's, in the past few months before I got here. If this rain came every night there was a strong chance that people just vanished for the duration of it... so what did that mean for me?

Had I also vanished?

Was I the only one seeing this... alternate reality, for lack of a better term?

Against all my better judgement I walked to the coat rack by the front door and grabbed my jacket. I opened the door...

It wasn't a light rain, but there were no hurricane winds either, jacket or no I would be soaked to the bone when I got back to the house. With no other place to go I decided to drop by the hospital at the edge of town.

If someone asked me now... I wouldn't be able to tell them why I didn't just go back to sleep and let it be; I wasn't one hundred percent sure of my actions, and something tells me I never will be.

The walk was long and dreary, down the road that led to school, turning right at main street and walking all the way through the shopping district, and continuing on past the residential area.

The hospital was at the end of that long, straight road.

The hospital's doors were wide open...

Clipboards lay clattered on the ground in the main hallway, and a gurney was left unattended in the lobby, an IV leaning against it that presumably belonged to a vanished patient. I hoped my theory about people vanishing was right, because if it wasn't that meant I was the last man on Earth, either that or I had been spirited away myself. I made my way behind the reception desk and picked up the clipboard that had been dropped under it.

A long list of patient's names, visiting hours were printed at the top.

12:00 PM to 4:00 PM

I let my eyes wander down the list until I found what I was looking for...

'Inoue Erica-Rm. 203'

Erica... an English name...

I set the clipboard on the reception desk and walked around, making my way into the main hall way. There were three elevators lining it...

I took a chance and hit the button on the first one.

As I predicted; it didn't budge.

I let out a sigh and made my way further down the hall, past a few rooms and about halfway to the end was a small side path leading to some stairs. I reluctantly started to climb to the second floor. For some reason I could see where I was going, logic said that with all electronics fuzzed out it would be pitch black here, but I could still make things out in a hazy but bright grey.

It was unnerving to say the least, darkness would have been welcome compared to such an anomoly.

I made it to the second floor without incident, the rooms counted up, alternating evens and odds on each side from the west end of the hospital. I made my way left from the stairs, to the second room on the 'odd' side of the hall, 203.

I wanted to turn back, go back to my room and forget this ever happened.

But something tugged at me.

Something felt... wrong... so horribly wrong.

I turned the door knob...

And entered the room.

It was standard hospital fair, white sheet bed with a soft pillow, TV hanging from the roof across from it, a few chairs for visitors to sit in.

What threw me off was that there was someone in the bed. I could tell she was about an inch shorter than me from her outline in the sheets, and she had long blond hair that trailed by her neck and disappeared into the covers.

"Inoue-san?"

She turned her head to me slowly and smiled.

Even if she did that she didn't look happy. "Did they take you too?"

"Take me?" I was confused, what did she mean by that? Was she asking if I had been spirited away as well? "I... came here to see you I guess." I stepped forward and grabbed a chair, spinning it around and sitting in it backwards, leaning my arms on the back of it. "My name is Kurosawa Keiichi; I just transferred here from Gekkoukan."

"They talk to me," she said solemnly.

I leaned forward slightly, hesitant to ask my next question, "... who talks to you Inoue-san?"

"The shadows; they tell me it's okay to feel lonely. They say it's better that way."

I think I flinched.

I remembered the sword in my gut.

**_'You are alone.'_**

"Listen," I said softly, "We need to get out of here, I don't know why it rains like this, but there has to be someone who's worried about you."

She scoffed, "Everyone lies to me, you're lying to me right now. Besides, why should I listen to you? I don't even know you."

The feeling of the walls closing in around me returned. The relief I felt at finding someone else in this lonely place began to erode. I stood, trying to keep my voice calm, "Listen... Inoue. I need your help, ever since I got to this town it's been one insane thing after another and I don't know what to do with myself. You say everyone lies to you but it seems like you're lying to yourself. A couple of days ago on the way to school I overheard some student you probably don't even know saying they would come to visit you in the hospital, that sounds like caring to me."

She glared at me, "Shut up..."

The room became oppressive...

"STOP LYING TO ME!"

My world exploded.

My ears rang.

My head pounded.

My hands shook.

My stomach churned.

"I'VE HAD ENOUGH LIES! I'LL KILL ANYONE WHOS LIED TO ME, STARTING WITH YOU!"

I fell to my knees as the room around us dissolved.

I found myself on that rainy street, under that one light post.

Inoue stood over me...

Only she wasn't Inoue anymore.

Right in front of me was a ten foot tall monstrosity. A creature with skin as black as night, six legs protruding out at odd and impossible angles, a female's face looked at me with a mad grin. The thing laughed, shaking in a way that almost made me throw up just from seeing it.

I...

I had to run...

I had to get away...

But my legs wouldn't move...

The creature advanced towards me, "NOW DIE!"

**_'You are alone.'_**

My world froze.

I felt something tugging at the back of my mind.

A woman's voice rang out.

_"Thou art I... and I am thou..."_

The mad grin grew closer...

"Per..."

It raised one of its massive black extensions.

"So..."

And brought it down...

"Na..."

The reality around us cracked under the pressure, and the monstrosities' 'hand' was stopped mid strike.

A woman no taller than myself held it there with her right palm alone, her beauty only accentuated by the elegant floral patterned gi that she wore and the katana in her left hand.

The light above me flickered out, but the scene before me was as bright as any daylight... and when the lightning struck it was almost blinding.

The woman shoved the thing away with little effort, she turned to me and tossed me a smile, her black hair flowing almost in tandem with her outfit, "I am Uzume, the goddess of dawn and light, from this day forward I shall fight by your side."

My jaw dropped...

Uzume rushed the monster before I could say anything...

And the fight was on...


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: The Fool**

I ducked when they clashed. It was like some action show that you'd watch on TV, but it was a lot more frightening when you were stuck in the middle of it. Uzume's katana flashed and one of the monster's appendages fell to the ground; it let out an ear splitting screech. "What the hell..." Before I had the comfort of rationally thinking through things, but now that was all gone, I felt like everything in my life before now was meaningless.

It was like being born.

Opening your eyes to find that you can see after years of being blind.

Not being able to hear and suddenly the sound of a bullet train roaring by greets your ears.

For some reason I knew what to do...

"Uzume!" I shouted.

She smirked and nodded, "Right." Her sword flashed again, this time engulfed in flames.

Fire burned the creature obviously, and it let out yet another ear splitting scream. For some reason I knew...

I knew what Uzume was capable of and what I could accomplish with her help. I knew her movements and her personality. I knew her little quirks and habits.

It was almost as if...

She was an extension of me.

"Watch out!"

She narrowly dodged one of the creature's extensions as it came down upon her. It cracked the ground, sending broken asphalt flying in every direction. I ducked, covering my head as I felt a few pieces of the ground crash into my back.

It hurt like hell.

"You're a persistent one aren't you..." grumbled Uzume, bringing herself into a fighting stance and brandishing her sword, "It looks like I need to stop playing. Here I am trying to help you and you wanna kill us."

The creature roared at her, as if it were furious that this puny woman would even dare to taunt it. It went for another attack, this time coming down on Uzume with all it had. Uzume moved swiftly, dodging the constant strikes as she closed in on the monster. Every time it missed it cracked another gigantic hole in the concrete, and I could only hope that the shrapnel wouldn't peg me in the head.

All this time, since her last attack, the fire had spread across the creature's 'skin'. It made no sense; it was raining like hell and still the fire spread.

I was soaked to the bone, but Uzume looked like she was completely dry.

With one last missed strike Uzume had closed the distance between her and what used to be Inoue.

With one last thrust of her katana...

It was over...

Everything went silent.

I could only think of one name for what Uzume... what I had just fought.

Uzume frowned, "A shadow," she said solemnly, "All the dark little desires and negative emotions of humanity balled up into one nasty piece of work."

Everything went quiet as the creature dispersed into nothing.

Inoue was back.

Her eyes were wide and she held a hand to her chest.

"S... stay back, you're all liars, everyone lies."

For some reason, Uzume was by my side now, even though just a second ago she had been a solid ten feet away. I stepped towards Inoue slowly, and Uzume echoed my movements.

"No... no more..."

Inoue was shaking by the time I had reached her, and Uzume was gone.

"Inoue-san."

She collapsed into me, bawling her eyes out.

And everything around us dissolved.

We were in a room, a little girl's room, with a vanity and everything.

Inoue calmed down slightly, but still clung to me. "They lied to me," she muttered, "I was adopted."

I saw a little girl appear by the bed, playing with a few dolls.

The scene melted away again, this time the room was more conserved, but that vanity still remained. The door flew open, "Erica wait!"

I saw another Erica storm into the room and slam the door behind her; she collapsed onto her bed in a fit of tears.

"My dad was American, so I thought I was half Japanese because of that. Sometimes I got made fun of at school for having my dad's blood, but I didn't care. I took pride in the fact that my parents loved each other, and I took pride that I had part of them with me... even if I got made fun of for it. A few weeks ago they told me I was adopted..."

The room darkened and the copy of Erica disappeared... that must have been when the Shadows got to her.

"Everyone lies," she said sadly, pulling away from me and wiping her eyes, "I should go, I've caused enough trouble."

She tried to turn away from me, but I planted a firm hand on her shoulder, "You're right," I said simply.

"What?"

"You're right," I said with a laugh, "Everyone lies; it's only human. It's nothing to be ashamed of though; we all make mistakes, and your parents lied because they loved you."

"Wha..."

"They went to see you in the hospital didn't they? And that girl from the school too, even though she didn't know you, and me... I didn't know you, but I still came to find you. I don't know what the hell is going on anymore than you do, but I know that you're not alone, and I know that I'm not alone. This past few days it felt like everything has been closing in around me, but just now... what happened... I don't feel alone anymore, and neither should you."

She didn't cling to me this time, but I could see the tears fall, even through the rain.

I took a deep breath, "Let's try this again." I let my hand fall from her shoulder and bowed to her slightly, "My name is Kurosawa Keiichi, and I'm a junior that just transferred here from Gekkoukan High."

He face slowly formed a smile, "Inoue Erica, junior, class 2-C."

I smiled back, "That's my class. I guess I'll see you at school when you're discharged."

"Yeah," she said, running a hand through her hair.

'Thou art I... and I am thou...'

"I'll see you there," she said happily, "Nice to meet you."

**The courage to face one's loneliness has been made manifest...**

I saw it...

What appeared to be a woman in heavy armor, holding a scroll... floating above Inoue.

**'I am Alathea, Goddess of truth and sincerity.'**

Inoue was just like me... 

* * *

><p>I woke with a start, my breath hitched in my throat and whatever had just happened still burned into my brain. I tried to get a grip on myself, but ended up falling out of bed anyways.<p>

A knock sounded at my door, it was my grandma, "Keiichi-kun, are you alright?"

"Y... yeah grandma, I just... had a weird dream is all."

I looked around my room again and what I saw at the end of my bed made me let out a little yelp... a large and elegant blue door, just short enough to not reach the ceiling.

"Are you sure?" she asked again.

"I... I'm fine, I hit my head, you know me being a klutz and all, heh heh!"

There was a pause, as if she were unsure of what to say. "Alright then." I heard her foot steps recede down the stairs.

_'Quit being such a dolt.'_

UZUME?

Great now I was hearing voices.

_'It's almost time for school,'_ she said nonchalantly.

I got changed and went downstairs. I ate breakfast, uttered a quick goodbye to my grandparents, and walked as fast as I could to school.

On the way I heard those two girls again.

"I went to see Inoue-chan yesterday and she wasn't doing too well. I left her some flowers though, and apparently she's doing a lot better today, so that's good. How'd your date go?"

"Horribly, ugh, I should have gone with you. He was a complete ass."

"Well, she could be back at school next week so you can talk to her then, maybe we can ask about the kidnapper," said the first girl, excitement lining her voice.

"I swear you have no tact."

"Hey! I resent that!"

I stopped listening after that, instead retreating to my 'own' thoughts._ 'You mind telling me why there's a giant blue door in my room?'_

I could almost see Uzume shrug,_ 'Why are you asking me? I don't know anymore than you do.'_

_'Aren't you supposed to be a goddess or something?'_

_'It depends on what mood your in.'_ Her voice turned sultry and I rolled my eyes.

Lovely, I was a schizophrenic on top of all the other crazy shit that had been happening to me... plus a closet pervert.

Persona, huh?

I reached into my pocket and felt something, when I pulled it out I stopped dead in my tracks. In my hand was a small blue key, "What the..."

_'Maybe it's the key to that door,'_ piped up Uzume.

I remembered Igor giving me this... but that was a dream, wasn't it?

What the hell was going on?

I decided to pocket it and keep heading to school.

I would worry about it later, I needed to get my mind off all this.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Inaba**

"Yes..."

She held the phone tightly to her ear.

"Very well, I'll see to it."

When she hung up she brought her hands to her forehead. It was hard to imagine before now that she would be doing this right out of high school, but she didn't exactly have a choice in this matter. She let her eyes wander around the large loft the Kirijo group had supplied her with after she graduated.

She let out a sigh... without her father it all just felt so... empty.

A knock on her door snapped her out of her melancholy state, and she stood to answer with no hesitation, adjusting her red pajamas as she went.

A blond girl about an inch shorter than herself, in a business suit with a stack of folders and a laptop in her right hand, greeted her through the peep hole, "Mitsuru," she said softly, "I have something that you must see."

"Aigis?"

Mitsuru opened the door and stepped aside, letting the girl pass the threshold of her door, "Wh... where have you been Aigis? Yukari and I have been worried sick ever since graduation."

"I told you," she responded simply, "I have been investigating."

"For Minato?"

Aigis nodded firmly, looking around the apartment, "It appears you have done well for yourself, places like this are difficult to afford." It was true, the place was a fancy western style apartment that you'd expect to be a suite in a huge hotel.

Hardwood floors, an extended kitchen with a marble island and counters, and a coffee table made completely of glass parallel to a large leather sofa.

Mitsuru's face reddened, "I... I wanted something simple but the board insisted, what are you doing here? Have you been to see Yukari yet?"

Aigis looked away, "No, but as much as I miss her this is something that you need to see first." Aigis walked to the kitchen's island and set down what she had brought with her, separating out the files from the laptop. She opened the first folder as Mitsuru came up behind her.

"What are these?"

Aigis stepped aside and gestured to the file she had opened, "A lead."

Mitsuru's eyes widened, "A lead?"

Aigis nodded as Mitsuru rushed forward and started looking through the folder. They were police files on a suspect apprehended for two murders and attempted rape in a remote town called Inaba. "How did you get these?" she asked softly.

"Keisuke-san assisted me; he let me use his connections with the police."

"Keisuke Tanaka? Wh... he would have told me if he was helping you."

"I... specifically asked him not to involve you; I apologize Mitsuru, but this is something that I had to do on my own."

"I see..." Mitsuru ran a hand through her frazzled bed hair and sighed once more, "So what does this have to do with Minato?"

"Before I came here I talked to Fuuka."

"What for?"

"To confirm that I was not mistaken. I was suspicious, the news never mentioned the method which he used to kill his victims, and the police reports are even more vague, even going so far as to censor otherwise important data. It is my suspicion that the remnants of Nanjo are involved in this somehow. Naturally, I assumed there was more to the initial police report, Fuuka confirmed my theory when she identified several Persona users in Inaba."

Mitsuru wouldn't believe it if it was anyone else but a friend who was telling her this; a friend who had been investigating on Minato's behalf for three long years; a friend who disappeared on graduation day, saying the only reason she couldn't stay with them or go to college was because she had a mission.

Her first mission that wasn't programmed into her.

As it was Mitsuru believed everything Aigis was telling her; she didn't need all this evidence.

Mitsuru felt a chill down her back. Even after all that time door nonsense a part of her was still skeptical about being able to help Minato in any way; the boy had already sacrificed himself, and logic said it was impossible to bring back the dead...

Then again... logic also said that all her friends were schizophrenic and they couldn't stop the apocalypse, but they weren't...

And they did.

"So you think that something happened in that town."

"I am sure of it; I traveled there after I spoke with Fuuka and there were signs of shadows everywhere."

"Shadows?"

"Yes... but it was comparable to when Minato-kun sealed Nyx and the dark hour ceased."

"Like somebody already cleaned house," muttered Mitsuru, leafing through the files.

"I also noticed something else," said Aigis, reaching out and grasping Mitsuru's hand when she reached a certain file. The first page in the file showed a gruff looking man, his name printed in bold letters next to his picture.

"Dojima Ryotaro?"

Aigis nodded, "Indeed; the murderer was this man's partner."

"The killer was a detective?"

Aigis nodded, "The media has labeled it as **The Great Tragedy of Inaba**. Strangely, the murders started around the time that his nephew came to live in his residence, and the persona users Fuuka sensed were all tied to his nephew in some way."

Mitsuru let out a laugh, "This can't be coincidence."

"It isn't..."

"This is a pretty thin lead; it doesn't seem to have anything that can help you, but..." she set down the file and looked Aigis straight in the eye, "It's better than nothing, and the fact that persona users were involved means something big happened in that town. Go let Yukari know that you're alright and I'll call the board."

Aigis nodded, "Very well, would you like me to contact the others as well?"

"There's no need for th... actually... yes. Call everyone."

"Everyone?"

Mitsuru nodded, pushing the files away and smiling at Aigis, "Yes, everyone."

"Would you like me to arrange a meeting?"

"That would be best."

* * *

><p>Souji Seta was stir frying vegetables when the interview show came on. It had just started to sizzle when his mother screamed his name from the living room, "Souji!"<p>

He almost jumped out of his skin, leaving the pan and walking into the other room, "You called?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

She glared at him and pointed at the TV, "When were you going to tell me about this?"

"Tell you about what?"

She stood, walked to him, grabbed his arm, and nearly dragged him in front of their television set, seating him in the couch forcefully. Souji could only comply, as he was well and used to getting manhandled by his mother, especially since she had heard about the murders in Inaba.

On the television set was none other than Rise Kujikawa, returning idol, and her rival/partner Kanami Mashita, sitting on a large couch for a TV interview.

"So, you two get along well for what happened a couple of years ago. What's up with that?"

Rise laughed, causing Souji to smile, which only earned him another glare from his mother.

"Well," said Rise, wrapping her arm around the other girl's shoulders, "I just don't see the point in hating each other when we can be friends, besides, I kind of feel responsible for her because we're both part of the same studio... so I guess that kind of makes her like a little sister." Rise's words caused Kanami to smile.

"I know that you just mentioned him in passing when I asked about the whole Inaba thing, but... do you think Japan would like to hear more about this mysterious boyfriend of yours?"

Souji's eyes widened... oh no...

His mother's glare only intensified.

"Souji's a great guy, and I'm sure his parents are proud of him."

"No last name?"

Rise put a finger to her lips and winked at the camera, "Sorry everybody, but that's a secret, I don't want fans swarming his house."

The host laughed, "Well I bet he doesn't either, especially the jealous ones. Rise Kujikawa everybody!"

The clapping started, but was cut short by Souji's mother turning off the TV.

She turned to him, still glaring, set the remote on the couch arm, and placed her hands on her hips.

Souji fumbled, "Um... it could be some other guy in Inaba named Souji?"

"You were dating Rissette and you didn't tell me?"

Souji flinched, "I.. I'm sorry, I didn't want you to freak out, I know you're a big fan... and... I felt like it was too soon."

She grabbed his collar forcefully and he shut his eyes tight. Her glare softened and she let out a sigh, "Souji Seta you amaze me sometimes. Why would I freak out about you dating her? I'm not some crazy fan, I'm just mad you didn't tell me."

"You screamed like a little girl when you saw her live, that's pretty crazy..."

"What was that?"

Souji smirked, "Nothing dear Mother."

"That's what I thought, now go finish up; your father will be home soon, and tell Dojima he needs to call more often."

"As you command."

She pushed him away, "Oh just go already."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Social Butterfly**

It was hard to get my head in the game the next two days at school; I kept thinking some monster would jump around the corner and attempt to eat me alive. The fact that it was only the middle of April scared me; the school year was just starting, which meant that I had that to deal with on top of all this Persona and Shadow stuff. I didn't even know what I had gotten myself into, and it's not like I intended for this to happen.

Long story short I was trying my damnedest to not have a mental breakdown in the middle of class.

April 14th, a Saturday, I could at least thank my lucky stars that we left at lunch and I had tomorrow off.

"Kurosawa! Kurosawa!"

I snapped out of my dark thoughts, "Y... yes?"

Mr. Genji narrowed his eyes, "I asked you what year the Tokugawa Shogunate was abolished."

"Oh um... 1868..."

"Correct, now if you'd please pay attention we can get on with class."

"R... right."

I tried to ignore the light laughter that echoed through the classroom, but that only served to put me even more on edge. When the bell rang to let out for the day I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see Shinji with a worried look on his face, "Dude, what's up with you? You've been out of it all day."

I bit my cheek.

_'Don't throw a hissy fit.'_

_'Shut up Uzume, you're not helping.'_

_'I only know as much as you do right now, so I'm just as confused as you Keiichi.'_

"N... nothing, I just feel a little ill; I wanna get outta here and head home already."

Shinji grinned, "Amen to that. I'll see you on Monday bro."

"Y... yeah."

* * *

><p>I had hurried home past all the students milling about, and when I got there I was greeted by my cheerful grandparents, completely blissful and unaware of the situation I had found myself in, "Good afternoon Keiichi-kun, what would you like for dinner?"<p>

"Anything's fine Grandma," I said with a smile, "You're a great cook."

"Oh come now."

_'Wow you're quite the charmer, be careful or you'll have ladies falling all over you at school.'_

_'If you're a part of me then why can't I make you shut up?'_

_'Maybe I'm the irritating part.'_

My eyebrow twitched.

"Well I'm gonna head up and do my homework."

"Alright," said Grandma, "We'll call you down when dinner is ready."

I nodded, "Thanks." My feet felt heavy as I ascended the stairs.

_'Are you going to try that door today?'_

_'I don't intend on it...'_

I opened the door to my room almost on cue, walking in and sliding it shut behind me. _'Oh c'mon, don't be a wuss, open the door.'_ I sighed and looked at the door she was coaxing me to open._ 'You know you want to.'_

_'And why's that?'_

_'Because I want to.'_

_'Ugh, fine, just shut up.'_

I took a deep breath and stepped towards the end of my bed, walking past the desk. I didn't even know why I was listening to her. The room was spacious, so there was quite a bit of distance between the door and the wall, enough to stand in front of it and open it at least.

I took the key out of my pocket and it began glowing.

When I put it in the door I felt like I was being thrown off a cliff.

I heard thunder and rain...

The mansion...

I walked to the fireplace with a little less hesitation this time, "Welcome back..."

Igor...

"So it wasn't just a dream," I muttered.

I sat down in the recliner on the other end of the table. Veronica was standing next to him as she was last time, "Indeed," she said softly, "It is good to see you again, I was not sure you would return."

"So..."

Igor leaned forward, "You are most likely wondering what has happened to you."

I nodded.

"You have a special ability, as does that young lady you met the other night."

"Ability?"

Veronica nodded, "You have the power of Persona, the ability to use a part of yourself as a weapon and a way to protect others, as you did before. A Persona is a facade people use to overcome life's challenges, but you can harness yours and use it in such a fashion; it is not a common ability."

"I see."

Igor's grin had still not left his face, but for some reason it didn't unnerve me, he gestured towards me, "That is not all," he said softly, "You have a unique talent, even among Persona users. It's like the number zero; it represents nothing, but holds infinite possibilities within itself."

"Zero?"

"Indeed; it seems the Persona that has chosen you first is Uzume, but that is not the only Persona you are able to retain in yourself. I see within you many possibilities."

"I can have more than one?"

"Yes, this is the power of the Wild Card."

"I see..."

I tried to understand what he was talking about, but it was difficult to grasp. Veronica picked up where Igor left off, "Our job is to help you develop this unique power in hopes that you will use it for its intended purpose, to protect yourself and others. The Shadow that you fought before will not be the last one you encounter, nor will it be the strongest. In order to fight these creatures you must be able to use every facet of your power, and we can assist you in this matter by helping you create new Personae out of those you have gathered from your battles with the Shadows."

"And how do I do that?"

"By fusing them."

"If I fuse them, then are they gone?"

Veronica shook her head, "Never, a Persona is a part of yourself, and it can never truly be erased, just as one can never change their own past." Veronica walked forward and I finally realized she was holding a large black book in her hands, "This is the Persona Compendium, it keeps track of your Personae as you gather them, and you will be able to call them forth at will for a nominal fee."

I held up my hand laughing, "So you want me to pay to call forth a part of myself so I can use it as a weapon against these Shadows?"

"The ones you use in fusion, yes."

This was all way too ridiculous, "Alright alright, I'll go along with this, but I still don't know what that challenge is you were referring to earlier."

"In time you will," said Igor, "People have been disappearing in your town, have they not? Spirited away by strange beings."

"The shadows..." I muttered.

"Yes," Igor said bemusedly, crossing his fingers, "One more thing before you depart. Your power to create these Personae and help them grow all depends on the bonds you hold with others."

"You mean... friends."

"Indeed. I suggest you harness these Social Links, you will need them to prevail in the coming days."

Igor seemed like he was done lecturing, so I stood and took my leave after bowing to Veronica, trying not to let what I just heard snap my already fragile state of mind. I felt a slight comfort when I had returned to my room and headed downstairs for dinner, but it didn't last.

When my face hit the pillow I didn't sleep a wink...

Thank God tomorrow was Sunday.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Corruption**

My eyes were heavy like lead when I managed to drag myself out from under my covers. It felt like I'd been hit by a mack truck and left on the side of the road... okay maybe that was an exaggeration, but I still felt like shit. When I looked at the clock I was surprised at the time.

1:00 PM

Obviously my grandparents weren't against me sleeping in on the weekend, which was fine by me, I had never been an early riser on my days off, and it was more than likely not going to change.

"Keiichi-kun!"

Hmph; it looked like I was still in uniform from yesterday.

Damn I didn't even take a bath.

I must have hit the bed like a boulder.

"Keiichi-kun!"

"Yes grandma?"

"You have a young lady here to see you."

Shit...

I stood and rushed to the bathroom, shoving the toothbrush in my mouth and squeezing some toothpaste in right after, "Ill bhe phrit ot..."

In retrospect I probably shouldn't have tried to talk to my grandma through the door with a toothbrush in my mouth, but it was already too late for regrets. I could hear my grandma laugh on the other side of the wall, "Alright dear, I'll let her know you'll be a few minutes, but she seems impatient, so you better hurry," she said in a teasing voice.

Dammit Grandma...

A large part of me was expecting to walk downstairs and see them going through embarrassing photo albums of the naked baby variety.

However, when I got down there in some fresh weekend clothes and the taste of mint on my breath...

Inoue was at the table in the kitchen sipping coffee, dressed in a pink sweater and jeans and chatting adamantly with my grandfather, "Yeah," she said softly, "We've only talked once, but I learned a lot; he's a great guy, you don't have to worry about him."

My grandpa nodded firmly, "That's good; my daughter says he's a good kid and they couldn't have asked for a better son, so I'd have to agree with her."

I clapped my hands together to gather their attention to me, "So... where's Grandma?"

"She went out shopping a second ago," said Grandpa.

Inoue giggled and took another sip of her coffee, "Do you always keep cute girls like me waiting for you?"

I was pretty sure I felt the blood shoot up from my legs and straight to my face.

_'Well isn't she the confident one?'_ snarked Uzume.

"A... anyways, what's up Inoue-san?"

"Oh nothing..." she set the coffee down and tossed me a smile, "Just wondering what you were doing today."

"Um... studying... I guess?"

"Good." She stood from the table, still smiling, "You're coming with me to the shopping district then."

"I'm what now?"

She laughed, "C'mon Kurosawa, let's go."

"But..."

She grabbed my wrist, waved goodbye to my grandfather, who was smirking like he just won something, and dragged me out the front door.

By the time we reached the ten yard mark down the road it was already the point of no return, so she let my wrist drop, "I hope I didn't seem to forward in there."

"No... I'm just not used to a girl... asking me out like that..."

Her face reddened, "Oh God is that what it looked like?"

"You were pretty flirty," I said with a laugh.

She sighed and brought a hand to her forehead, still blushing, "I mean... I didn't mean to... I just..."

I held up a hand, "Cool your jets, I didn't mind. It was... nice."

She blushed again, and we started walking down the street once more, "I just wanted to take you somewhere nice. I figured I'd say thanks for you saving my life and all."

I waved a hand, "Ah I didn't do much, it was all Uzume."

"Uzume?"

"My Persona, you have one too don't you?"

"Is that what she's called? I just know her name, Alathea. She's always so calm and collected, nothing like me."

"On the contrary she is you."

"Wait... what? No, there's no way. I'm always fumbling over myself and doing stupid stuff like you saw in there, I don't even get very good grades on tests. Ever since Alathea started talking to me I've felt a bit better about myself, but I could never be like her. Besides that... isn't your Persona a girl?"

I laughed and put a hand behind my head, "Um... yeah I guess there's that, but I don't think gender has anything to do with it."

"I see... I guess I should try to have a bit more faith in myself," she said with a soft smile.

The topic changed to a more lighthearted one on the way. We talked about school, Mr. Genji and his nazi like tendencies, and we talked about our favorite TV shows and books, and our favorite idols. By the time we reached the shopping district I hadn't even noticed we had. "This is the place," she said excitedly, spreading her arms out with a big grin on her face, "Jin's Pizza. It's a mom and pop pizza place, and it has the GREATEST pepperoni pizza you have ever tasted."

"A pizza place in a small Japanese town like this? Isn't that a bit weird?"

"Apparently the owner took a trip to New York when he was younger and fell in love with everything to do with pizza. I think I spend at least half my allowance at this place; I have to do extra club time just to keep up with all the calories. If you're in the mood for something normal like a beef bowl or takoyaki there's a place further down the street."

"No... no I like this, besides, I've never had pizza like this before."

She turned to me with wide eyes, "We must remedy this!"

I laughed, "Lead the way Ojou-san."

"Only of pizza."

I grinned, "Of pizza huh? You're a pretty strange girl you know that?"

She laughed, "Believe me that's not the first time I've heard that, and I don't think it'll be the last."

Suddenly...

Everything froze...

And I felt like I was floating in mid air.

**Thou art I... and I am thou...**

**Thou hast established a new bond.**

**Thou shalt receive our blessing when creating a Persona of the Lovers Arcana.**

"Did you hear that?" I asked softly when the moment had passed.

"Hear what?" she tilted her head.

"Um... nothing." I smiled, "Let's head inside, I just woke up and I'm starving."

* * *

><p>Monday came and went with no sign of Erica returning to school, but she had seemed just fine on our date so I was pretty sure she would show up Tuesday. My prediction was not off, as she showed up right as the morning bell had rung. She rushed to the seat directly to the left of me, which I hadn't noticed was empty before now until she was the one occupying it.<p>

"Almost late to home room on your first day back, tsk tsk tsk."

She grinned at me, "I was kidnapped, what is big mean old Genji gonna do?"

"Give you detention and make you clean the basketball court," I said, grinning right back.

"Yeah, he probably doesn't care that my life was in danger, huh? It wouldn't be surprising."

Oddly... Shinji was absent today.

Just as the bell rang for lunch I turned to Erica, "Hang on Inoue, I'm gonna ask Mr. Genji something real quick."

"You better catch him before he goes to the faculty office and downs a gallon of coffee."

I nodded, "Gotcha, be right back."

I was down the hallway and on the first floor, right behind Genji, in under a minute, "Excuse me, sir? Mr. Genji?"

He stopped in his tracks and turned on me as we passed the entrance and the shoe lockers, "Yes? What is it Kurosawa?"

"Um... I was wondering what was up with Shinji? Did he call in sick today?"

Genji frowned, "No, he's playing hooky it seems. He finds it difficult in class sometimes but I didn't expect him to take it this far, I'm disappointed, I thought more of him."

Hmmm... Genji seemed like a hardass, but I guess he really did care for his students, "I don't think he's skipping sir, I'm actually kind of worried about him, that's why we're talking right now. Do you know if you can get a hold of his parents?"

Genji shook his head, "Didn't he tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"It's not my right to say..."

"Please sir, I'll do what I can to help find him, I just have a weird feeling."

_'Somethings wrong with this...'_ mumbled Uzume,_ 'Something is very wrong.'_

"His parents are gone Kurosawa, if you want the details ask him. He's living with his aunt, God knows the woman should be home more often."

_'He lied to us,'_ said Uzume, _'Why did he lie to us before... about his mom being on night shift and... and cooking breakfast?'_

I must have been freaking a little because I had yet to hear Uzume this panicked, _'Calm down Uzume, I'm sure he's fine.'_

_'I hope we're just being paranoid Kei.'_

"I've already said too much, but he lives just at the edge of the shopping district, within a stone's throw of the Yuku grocery store. If you find out he's missing call the police and then call me." He pulled a card from his shirt pocket and put it in my hands, "That kid's as bright as you are and I don't want anything happening to him."

I bowed deeply, "Thank you..."

"I didn't tell you anything," he said, resuming his walk to the faculty office.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure about this?"<p>

Erica and I were walking through the shopping district when she asked me this. I tried not to sound too paranoid when I answered her, "No, but Mr. Genji said Shinji had never skipped before now, and he didn't call in sick either. I just have a bad feeling, but maybe it's nothing."

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "Well... I mean obviously Mr. Genji was worried too or he wouldn't have told you what he did. That only makes me more worried, what if what happened to me has something to do with this? What if he got spirited away like I did?"

"We don't know anything yet Inoue; it's not good to jump to conclusions."

"I'm not jumping to conclusions... you're thinking the same thing aren't you?"

I stopped walking and sighed, "Look... that doesn't matter. It's just a feeling and for all we know he could be fine."

Just as Genji had said; Shinji's home was at the far end of the shopping district, and it didn't look like much. It was attached to several others similar houses, some larger and some smaller. When I rang the doorbell I heard several loud noises and what sounded like someone rushing downstairs. The door slid open and I was greeted by the sight of a haggard woman who looked to be in her thirties. Her hair was a complete mess and looked like it had a coat of grease, and her face wasn't fairing much better. When she spoke I noticed she was missing a tooth, "That brat ain't here, he's prolly at the mall or some shit."

She tried to shut the door in my face, but I reached out and stopped it from closing, "Listen," I said hesitantly. I didn't bother speaking politely, as she obviously didn't care about things like that... or her own nephew it seemed. "We think your nephew might be missing."

"So call the police, doesn't got anything to do with me."

Erica stepped forward, glaring, "But you're his guardian aren't you? You're his aunt and you don't even care that he could be missing?"

"That kid is more trouble than he's worth, and you are too."

I could almost hear Erica's teeth grinding into each other, "You bitch! He could be missing! What the hell is wrong with you?"

The woman frowned, "Who the hell are you blondie? You from America? It isn't like over there, you can't just creep up in your neighbor's business."

"You're not my neighbor and I wouldn't want you to be! And it is my business, Shinji is Kurosawa-kun's friend!"

"He likes to hang around the mall like I said, why don't you ask there?"

The door slid shut.

Erica looked like she was about to explode, "You're disgusting!"

I put a hand on her shoulder, "Take a deep breath, she's not worth it and we only came here for Shinji."

_'This isn't right,'_ mumbled Uzume.

_'No... it's not.'_

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose, "Now we know for sure that he's missing."

"But what about the mall? We can ask there, right?"

"Listen Inoue-san, he didn't call in sick, Mr. Genji said he doesn't play hookey, and I know he comes this way after school. Even if they hate each other Shinji goes home to his aunt every day; he doesn't just hang at the mall the entire time. If what happened to you is happening to him right now then we need to find him as soon as possible... I'm going to need your help on this."

"Wha... my help? But you're the one that fought that thing, and I've only TALKED to Alathea, and... and..."

"Inoue this is extremely important. I haven't known Shinji long, and I obviously don't know him that well, he even lied to me about his mom, but that doesn't matter; he's a good guy and I want to do everything in my power to help him. I can't do it alone."

"I don't even know if I can fight something like that..." she brought a hand to her chest, "I've never even been in a fight at school or anything like that; I wouldn't know what to do."

"I think that whatever is happening at midnight in this town has something to do with these disappearances, that rain... everything... it's all happening for a reason. Do you know who got kidnapped before you?"

"I heard his name a couple of times but I never remembered it," she mumbled.

"Alright... I want you to meet me here... in front of Shinji's house a few minutes before midnight, you got that?"

She nodded softly, "Alright."

"It should start raining when the clock hits twelve, and then we'll be able to find Shinji."

"I hope you're right..."

"Me too."

_'Me three.'_

* * *

><p>I couldn't concentrate on having a normal conversation with my grandparents over dinner, and I definately couldn't get any homework done that night, so I simply ate and waited for the appointed time. I needed a TV in my room; it would help distract me whenever crap like this happened, and it would be a welcome addition to the almost bare desk I had been supplied with.<p>

11:30 PM

I snuck out through the window after grabbing my bag; it was easy enough to climb down and jump a few feet with the awning above the front door of the house.

I walked slowly, but with purpose, towards the shopping distract and Shinji's house, hoping that Erica would be there waiting for me.

She was...

"Did you wait long?"

"No, I just got here."

I smirked and she tucked some hair behind her ear, blushing a little bit, "Have you talked to Alathea?"

She nodded, "Yeah, I just hope I'm ready for this. It's your fault I'm in this situation you know."

"No thanks for the fact that your standing here?"

She pouted, "That's not fair."

"Oh it's perfectly fair," I said with a laugh.

_'Stop flirting and pay attention; it's almost midnight.'_

_'I really wish you had a mute button.'_

_'Too bad for you Kei.'_

As if on cue everything froze...

And then the rain started.

The lights on the street went out one by one, followed closely by any lights inside of the buildings that lined the street. All that was left was the rain and this strange, grey world.

Not a second in and we were already soaked.

Erica shivered, bringing her arms close. Her small jacket obviously wasn't helping. "You cold?"

"Yeah..."

"Let's go inside."

She nodded and followed me into the house.

I hadn't noticed when Shinji's aunt answered the door, but the place was a complete and utter mess. Beer bottles lay strewn about on the ground, along with fast food bags and candy wrappers. The kitchen extending out from the left of the living room smelled like something had been left to rot in it.

"Alright," I said, letting my bag drop by the front door and unzipping it.

"What's that?"

"Defense..." I said simply. I pulled two large aluminum baseball bats from the bag and handed one to her.

"Do you play baseball?"

"A little."

"I love baseball, you should join the club, they have a team and they play other schools and everything."

I laughed, "Inoue, now's really not the time."

"Oh, sorry," she said, nervously smiling... "I babble when I get nervous."

I smirked, "I can tell, let's look for Shinji."

She gripped her bat tightly and nodded firmly, "You got it."

First we searched the living room, which was the most disgusting part of the house right behind the kitchen; it smelled of stale alcohol and rotten pizza. "Shinji? You here man?"

No response...

Erica frowned, "I hope he's alright."

I waded my way through the trash, freezing in my tracks when I heard drunken laughter.

_**"Who's the kid?"**_

It was a male's voice... it seemed like it was coming from everywhere...

**_"Hahaha, don't worry 'bout him; he's just some pain in the ass I gotta deal with."_**

Erica looked around, gripping her bat until her knuckles were white and brandishing it in front of herself, "That's his aunt's voice," she whispered.

I tried to ignore the voices... "Shinji! Where are you?"

**"I thought I told you brat..."**

Her voice seemed to be getting closer...

"SHINJI AIN'T HERE!"

_'Look out!'_ shouted Uzume.

Erica tackled me out of the way just as the world started crumbling around us. I tried to look over her head on the ground, and I could feel the rain pelt me in the eyes.

We were once more on that blank street... under that one lamp.

My hands felt empty.

"Kurosawa-kun! Are you alright?" Erica pushed herself off me.

I nodded, "Y... yeah, you seen my bat?"

I heard a clatter on the ground next to me as my bat landed.

I looked at where it came from.

"Take your stupid fuckin' bat you piece o' crap!"

I picked it up with my left hand and stood, taking position next to Erica. A few yards away from us was Shinji's aunt, stumbling around with a bottle of Sake grasped tightly in her right hand.

"Now get outta my house!"

Lightning struck in the distance...

It took a few seconds for the sound to reach my ears.

"I can feel this shit!" She held the Sake bottle high above her head, "It's festerin', like a... like a corruption! Ever since that idiot kid moved in it's been there. All he does is complain about how much I drink. I popped him a few times and that didn't solve it, so I jus' fuckin' ignore him now..."

"You monster!" shouted Erica.

I glared, "You aren't being influenced by the Shadows at all, you gave into them!" My grip tightened on the bat, "It's your fault the shadows took Shinji!"

**'You are alone...'**

"He felt like he was backed into a corner... the shadows came for him! Why would you do that to your own nephew?"

"Good riddansh I say, I won't miss 'im!"

_'Kei... let me out...'_

The lightning struck close enough to flash this time... and everything went to hell...

Shinji's aunt was gone, replaced by a huge mass of black. It had arms sharpened into what appeared to be swords...

The Sake bottle fell to the ground...

It had four legs, and the mask it wore was blue, and held an insane grin.

"THAT BRAT CAN ROT FOR ALL I CARE!"

I gritted my teeth...

_'Kei...'_

I took a deep breath.

Erica looked at me, "What do we do Kurosawa-kun?"

"UZUME!"

The reality around us cracked, and another lightning strike made the ground under my feet shake with the force. I heard her katana unsheath, and she was at my side. "Follow my movements," she said softly, "And we can win this..."

I nodded, "We have to do this... we have to find Shinji."

Erica's eyes widened, "Is that... Uzume?"

Uzume smiled, "Nice to meet you Erica-chan."

Erica blinked, "Um..."

We charged before she could say anything in response. The monster was as dark as night, as it had been last time. As it struck for us I could hear its blade arm cut through the air. Uzume and I ducked the first strike, separating in tandem to get on the Shadow's flank.

It roared in fury when it realized its blade had not cut flesh... the sound caused my ears to ring...

I was fast... faster than I thought I was...

I heard Uzume's voice, 'This is your power,' she said softly, 'The power of Persona.'

The creature screeched, and I noticed that Uzume had cut it. I ducked another swing from it and planted my feet firmly, jumping into the air. I swung without thinking and the bat made contact.

It was like hitting a thick batch of dough on the kitchen counter. I heard a splat and the creature let out another ear splitting yell. I saw its severed blade arm fall to the ground, and when I landed I realized that my hands were numb and my bat was covered in black goo.

How hard did I hit that thing?

I didn't have time to think...

"Look out!" shouted Erica.

I felt it before I saw it.

I coughed and felt something warm come out of my throat.

"KEI!" shouted Uzume.

Erica ran to me as I fell to the ground, the shadowy needle still impaled into my stomach...

The damn thing had fired off projectiles.

Erica was by my side in an instant, cradling my head, "Oh God... Keiichi..."

Hey...

"You... called me Keiichi..."

"AW... IS IT ALREADY OVER? TOO BAD, I WAS IN THE MOOD!"

Uzume moved just as the creature had struck for us...

Her katana blocked the otherwise lethal blow, fire spread across the blade, and the creature screamed, pulling back as the flame attempted to consume its remaining arm.

It was a moment before I realized how bad I was bleeding.

Uzume turned her head, giving me a meaningful look.

I sat up, causing Erica to nearly jump out of her skin, "I'm not dead yet," I grumbled, holding a hand to my stomach and struggling to stand, "As long as I still have Uzume... I can fight this fuckin' thing..." I gritted my teeth and grasped the Shadow's needle in my torso.

"HAHAHA, HOW AMUSING, YOU THINK YOU CAN STILL FIGHT!"

"Erica... I need your help..."

Erica stood... she looked like she was about to cry...

"I need your help to beat this thing..."

"But your wound..."

"ERICA!"

She flinched.

The monster charged us...

We didn't have time to be debating on her ability to fight...

"Alathea! Please help me!"

The world shattered once more, and lightning struck in the distance.

Alathea stood by Erica, tome in hand.

With no hesitation she walked briskly to me and held out her hands to my stomach. She smiled warmly, and I felt something... when I looked down I saw the needle and my wound melting away, "What the..." I knew she wanted to help, but I wasn't expecting something like that...

By the time I looked back up Alathea was already standing by Uzume, facing down the monster.

I leaned down and picked my bat back up...

"This is about to get ugly," I muttered.

"DIE!"

Shit...


End file.
